As all his "Blue Crew" schoolmates gathered at Garner Magnet High School to show support, their hometown hero advanced Thursday night to the Final Five of "American Idol."

There were some nervous moments as host Ryan Seacrest toyed with the contestants, but Scotty McCreery, a junior at the school, was eventually named one of the five finalists. (Scotty was one of the final two standing before Seacrest noted that the rankings were in random order this week. So Scotty could have been the highest vote getter for all we know.)

In "Idol's" 10 seasons, three other North Carolinians have made it this far - Fantasia Barrino, who won Season 3; Clay Aiken, who finished second in Season 2; and Chris Daughtry, who was fourth in Season 5.

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How Scotty did this week: His solo of "You've Got a Friend" won raves Wednesday, but his duet of "Up on the Roof" was just so-so. On Thursday's show, all six finalists performed a tepid Carole King medley. Scotty got a solo on "Go Away, Little Girl," surrounded by teenage (not-so-little) girls.

Also this week: The finalists went to a pre-royal wedding party at the British consulate. Scotty liked the fish and chips and showed off a fairly good British accent.

Who did go home: Casey Abrams, the growling, jazzy oddball.

What's next? The Final Five will next perform on Wednesday's live show. One contestant will be eliminated Thursday.